Where We Be
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| Glasgow, Scotland |
Glasgow is Scotland's largest city -- bigger than
Edinburgh in both population and land area. We
stayed at Maldron Hotel in the City Centre, just
steps away from the pedestrian-only Buchanan
Street, which was hopping on a Friday night
when we first arrived. The city feels vibrant and
lived-in -- like it's built less for tourists than it is
for locals.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is the #1
thing to do here as a tourist. The building itself
is gorgeous with its towers and turrets and red
sandstone architecture. It’s the most visited free
attraction in Glasgow. What we liked best about
it was the eclectic (and slightly eccentric) group-
ing of objects. For instance, one gallery boasts a
Spitfire fighter plane hanging from the ceiling
while an elephant and a giraffe hold sway below.
How delightfully odd! There are 22 themed
galleries with over 8,000 objects to appreciate.
Riverside Museum of Transport is also worth a
visit. Here you can see a tall ship on the River
Clyde as well as cool locomotives, trams, cars,
motorcycles, and horse-drawn carriages. You
can even see the world’s oldest bicycle.
Edinburgh in both population and land area. We
stayed at Maldron Hotel in the City Centre, just
steps away from the pedestrian-only Buchanan
Street, which was hopping on a Friday night
when we first arrived. The city feels vibrant and
lived-in -- like it's built less for tourists than it is
for locals.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is the #1
thing to do here as a tourist. The building itself
is gorgeous with its towers and turrets and red
sandstone architecture. It’s the most visited free
attraction in Glasgow. What we liked best about
it was the eclectic (and slightly eccentric) group-
ing of objects. For instance, one gallery boasts a
Spitfire fighter plane hanging from the ceiling
while an elephant and a giraffe hold sway below.
How delightfully odd! There are 22 themed
galleries with over 8,000 objects to appreciate.
Riverside Museum of Transport is also worth a
visit. Here you can see a tall ship on the River
Clyde as well as cool locomotives, trams, cars,
motorcycles, and horse-drawn carriages. You
can even see the world’s oldest bicycle.
| From this angle it looks like the Spitfire is about to land on the back of Sir Roger the Asian Elephant! |
| Dramatic Kelvingrove from the outside -- an ornate red sandstone masterpiece |
| Saint Mungo, the Patron of Art and Music, looks down upon you as you enter |
| Stepping inside, you're immediately greeted by this dramatic cathedral-like central hall. A pipe organ stands at one end of the hall, with free organ recitals most days at 1 pm. |
| A Spitfire hangs suspended above an elephant and a giraffe -- certainly one of the more striking juxtapositions at Kelvingrove |
| What makes Kelvingrove fun (and somewhat unusual) is that it combines all sorts of museums into one -- natural history, fine arts, Scottish history, Egyptian history, etc. |
| Speaking of Egyptian history, here's a sampling from that gallery |
| Here again, vibrant works of art are prominently displayed in each gallery |
| We don't claim to understand all the art -- like these odd hanging heads sporting various facial expressions -- but that's half the fun of a visit |
| Upstairs are the art galleries, and they boast quite a fine collection, including this Renoir |
| The oddly-shaped Riverside Museum is visible behind Glenlee tall ship (and two cranes repairing the ship) |
| This Highland Railway locomotive appeared in the 1965 film "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines" |
| This recreated 1930s street features historical shop fronts, a horse-drawn carriage, and a mock subway station |
| Royal Concert Hall anchors the north end of Buchanan Street, close to our Maldron Hotel |
| Glasgow boasts an eclectic food scene -- we enjoyed Ethiopian cuisine one night and delicious falafels the next |
| Riverside Museum of Transport |
| Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum |
| Pedestrian-only Buchanan Street boasts tons of food options, from fine dining to hole-in-the-wall falafel shops |
| The bell tower at the University of Glasgow is a city landmark |
| You can walk or take the subway from the City Centre (e.g., Buchanan Street) to the vibrant West End, where Kelvingrove Museum, the Riverside Museum, and the University of Glasgow are all located |
| We were blown away by the sheer size of the antlers on this extinct giant deer |
| We liked the way they featured one particular piece of art at the front of each gallery. This is the ballerina "Anna Pavlova" by the Irish artist Sir John Lavery. |
| Stained glass? Check. Knights in armor? Check. "Return to Sender" Elvis with halo? Check. This place is odd, eclectic, and just plain fun. |
| This colorful Pakistani "truck art" van is a permanent exhibit at the museuum |
| A springbok leaps in front of this South African Railways steam locomotive |
| The world's oldest bicycle, or "velocipede," is said to have been invented by Kirkpatrick MacMillan, a Scottish blacksmith, in 1839 |